WASHINGTON, DC – July 27, 2022 —“Despite strong and longstanding bipartisan support, Congressional leaders were unable to reach agreement on including an expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs or the College Transparency Act (CTA) in the CHIPS-Plus package. While a version of the JOBS Act was included via amendment in the House-passed America COMPETES Act, the final competitiveness package considered by both chambers (now called CHIPS-Plus) contained policies impacting commerce, science, and support for the semiconductor industry.”
“The JOBS Act would have built on this to make it possible for workers to use Pell grants to rapidly retrain through high-quality, short-term programs, something that is desperately needed as our nation continues to recover from a pandemic that has transformed entire industries overnight. And the CTA is an essential component that would have enabled the creation of a privacy-protected data network to help students and families, policymakers, institutions, and employers make informed decisions by providing more complete information about college access, success, costs, and outcomes.”
“We are disappointed given NSC’s longstanding work on the issue. Equitable access to federal financial aid remains a priority for our organization and network. We are grateful for the support and leadership on the JOBS Act by Senators Kaine and Portman and Representatives Levin and Gonzalez and thank the hundreds of individuals in our network who held meetings, wrote letters, and made phone calls in support of the JOBS Act and the CTA. It does make a difference as we continue to keep this issue on the forefront for congressional leaders.”
“We remain optimistic that there will be other opportunities to advance short-term Pell Grants and the CTA. There remains broad bipartisan support for the JOBS Act and NSC will continue to advocate for inclusion of these policy priorities in future legislative and funding packages with key protections for students and taxpayers. NSC opposes recent efforts to expand JOBS Act eligibility to proprietary institutions, as well as attempts to remove essential guardrails and student protections from the legislation despite prior bipartisan agreement .”
“We will continue to keep our network and partners informed of next steps and encourage all to sign onto our Make College Work petition.”
